Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/128354 
Year of Publication: 
2015
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 5659
Publisher: 
Center for Economic Studies and ifo Institute (CESifo), Munich
Abstract: 
This paper studies a famous unsolved puzzle in quantitative social science. Why do some nations report such high levels of mental well-being? Denmark, for instance, regularly tops the league table of rich countries’ happiness; Britain and the US enter further down; some nations do unexpectedly poorly. The explanation for the long-observed ranking -- one that holds after adjustment for GDP and other socioeconomic variables -- is currently unknown. Using data on 131 countries, the paper cautiously explores a new approach. It documents three forms of evidence consistent with the hypothesis that some nations may have a genetic advantage in well-being.
Subjects: 
well-being
international
happiness
genes
5-HTT
countries
JEL: 
I30
I31
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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